Kenya Airways Enters New Partnership Opening Up World-Class Healthcare to Africans
Kenya Airways and Aga Khan University Hospital team up to make world-class healthcare more accessible to Africans through coordinated medical travel.
Marvin Chege 
Kenya Airways (KQ), through its healthcare division KQ Health, has entered into a strategic partnership with Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) aimed at improving access to specialized medical care for patients across Africa.
The collaboration, revealed on Friday, November 7, combines KQ’s extensive regional flight network with AKUH’s advanced medical capabilities, establishing a coordinated system to facilitate patient travel for treatment in Kenya.
The partnership seeks to position Kenya as a leading destination for high-quality healthcare on the continent—part of a growing effort to reduce the need for Africans to seek medical treatment abroad.
Under the agreement, KQ Health will manage end-to-end travel logistics for patients flying into Kenya for treatment.
Rashid Khalani, Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan University Hospital, and Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways (both centre), during the signing ceremony of a strategic partnership to enhance medical travel for patients across Africa. /VIRAL TEA KE
Services will include medical clearances before travel, in-flight medical assistance, and ambulance transfers directly from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. Once at AKUH, patients will receive care in key specialties such as oncology, cardiology, surgery, and critical care.
Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka said the partnership illustrates how aviation can directly support access to healthcare across the continent.
“This is an example of how aviation can directly support healthcare access. By working with Aga Khan University Hospital, we’re connecting people not just to destinations, but to essential services that can change lives,” Kilavuka said.
He added that the initiative builds on KQ’s goal of using its regional presence to make a meaningful social and economic impact beyond passenger transport.
For Aga Khan University Hospital, the collaboration is part of its ongoing mission to make world-class medical care more accessible within Africa. AKUH Chief Executive Officer Rashid Khalani emphasized that the agreement would reduce the challenges faced by patients who often travel long distances for specialized care.
“This partnership makes it easier for patients from across Africa to access world-class healthcare without leaving the continent,” said Khalani. “When patients get treatment closer home, it means more convenient travel for them and their families, a familiar environment and culture to recover in, and a sense of pride in the quality of care available at home.”
Addressing the Medical Travel Gap
Medical travel remains a significant challenge across Africa. Many patients are still forced to seek specialized treatment overseas, particularly in India, the Middle East, or Europe, due to limited access to advanced healthcare facilities at home. Kenya Airways and Aga Khan University Hospital aim to change that by offering a safe, affordable, and coordinated alternative closer to home.
Through KQ Health, the airline plans to facilitate smoother patient travel experiences while ensuring continuity of care between medical institutions across borders. For many patients, this could mean less stress, reduced costs, and shorter travel times.
Experts note that this kind of partnership—integrating aviation with healthcare—addresses two major barriers to treatment: accessibility and affordability. It also aligns with Africa’s broader efforts to strengthen intra-continental healthcare systems and reduce the billions spent annually on outbound medical tourism.
Supporting Kenya’s Vision 2030
The partnership also supports the Kenya Vision 2030 national development plan, which includes a goal to establish Kenya as a regional hub for healthcare excellence and medical innovation.
Kenya has steadily grown into a preferred destination for patients from neighboring countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, thanks to its expanding network of specialized hospitals and medical professionals. By integrating air travel logistics through KQ Health, the new partnership could enhance that reputation and attract more regional patients seeking quality healthcare services.
The collaboration will also strengthen medical evacuation and referral systems within the region, ensuring faster and safer transfers for patients requiring urgent care.
A Model for Regional Collaboration
Both Kenya Airways and Aga Khan University Hospital view the agreement as a long-term initiative aimed at improving cross-border healthcare coordination.
KQ Health plans to extend the program to other African cities served by Kenya Airways, creating a continent-wide medical travel corridor anchored in Kenya.
The move reflects a growing trend of partnerships between airlines and hospitals worldwide to facilitate medical tourism and emergency transfers. For Kenya Airways, it also aligns with its diversification strategy as the airline works to stabilize operations and explore new business models following post-pandemic recovery efforts.
Analysts see the partnership as a blueprint for regional integration, combining aviation and healthcare to tackle systemic gaps in Africa’s medical infrastructure.
Ultimately, the collaboration underscores a shared vision between Kenya Airways and Aga Khan University Hospital—to make quality healthcare more accessible for Africans within Africa.
